Media
Nine considers further cuts as new chief settles in
The Australian Financial Review’s Sam Buckingham-Jones‘ has sat down with Nine’s Head of Streaming and Broadcast, Amanda Laing, to chat about those recent redundancies.
In the interview she discusses cost discipline and the twin realities of a softening free-to-air market and the surge in both free and paid streaming.
In her words, part of the job is figuring out how to “get more juice out of the fruit.”
Meghan Markle missing as Netflix opens its first stores
Netflix House has opened in Philadelphia, giving fans Stranger Things rooms to wander through, shelves of merch to browse and a cafe serving show-inspired treats.
But, as Riley Cardoza writes in The Daily Telegraph, despite her culinary partnership with the streamer, Meghan Markle’s products are nowhere in sight.
Livinia Nixon receives a warm on air send off at 9News Melbourne
9News Melbourne signed off with heart last night as the team paused to farewell longtime weather presenter Livinia Nixon.
As Kevin Perry writes in TV Blackbox, the newsroom gathered around her, with colleagues and family joining in studio to mark the moment.
AI
Google warns no one is safe if the AI bubble pops
The BBC’s Faisal Islam and Rachel Clun report that Alphabet boss Sundar Pichai is sounding a quiet alarm about the AI gold rush, warning that the market’s wild surge has started to flirt with “irrationality”.
He called the current wave of investment an extraordinary moment, but one running hotter than the fundamentals may justify.
Meanwhile…
Don’t expect that bubble to burst anytime soon.
A week or ago it was revealed that Michael Burry, the US investor made famous in the film The Big Short for shorting the housing market, had done the same with the AI boom.
Well, now he’s been forced to close his hedge fund after his bet against Nvidia failed.
Social Media
Government outlines how it will measure success of teen social ban
Crikey’s Cam Wilson has done some digging, revealing the machinations behind the upcoming ban.
The government will track thousands of teens before and after the ban, combining their experiences with data from the platforms.
The eSafety study will feed into the formal review, showing whether the policy needs tightening, tweaking or a full rethink.
Vale
John Laws farewelled
Both 2GB and Seven will broadcast today’s funeral for the broadcasting legend.
Michael McLaren and John Stanley will lead the coverage on the wireless, while Michael Usher will anchor the broadcast.